The Slaughter Rule

A brave and tender drama from twin filmmakers Alex and Andrew Smith, THE SLAUGHTER RULE tells the story of a young man's conversion to manhood during one bleak Montana winter. Roy Chutney (Ryan Gosling), a high school student living in an isolated small town, finds out just days after his father's death that he has been cut from the football team. Thrown into a whirlwind of confusion, Roy is befriended by local outcast Gideon (David Morse), who recruits him to be the quarterback for his outsider "six-man" squad. A conflicted man with a shady past, Gideon is at turns overly compassionate and violently angry. The attention he shows Roy initially comforts the conflicted teenager, but as stories leak out about Gideon's past, Roy begins to question his true motives. At the same time, Roy finds himself falling in love with Skyla (Clea Duvall), a mature local who senses something genuine in Roy. Eventually, the pressure of these adult relationships takes its toll on the youngster, challenging him in ways he has never been challenged before. THE SLAUGHTER RULE is a sensitive portrait of adolescence, featuring gritty cinematography, a country soundtrack, and an outstanding performance from the always-reliable Morse.

"...At the heart of THE SLAUGHTER RULE are riveting performances....A touching portrait of thwarted, volatile male passion in a world where you could almost say that geography is destiny..."
New York Times

"...The story unfolds against a backdrop of stark natural beauty that ranges from a brown winter field to an endless sky of blue and scarlet..."
Los Angeles Times